Super fans survival guide: snack & sleep tips during the Games

With the Games kicking off later this week in Paris, Victoria University (VU) researchers are offering tips for fans to cheer on our Aussie athletes while coping with the time zone challenges. 

Be snack smart

For your middle-of-the-night sport-watching sessions, VU teaching academic and practicing dietitian Dr Lannie O’Keefe encourages snacking on foods that are not high in salt or sugar – they are poor in nutritional value, energy dense and may also affect digestion when consumed at odd hours. 

“Our bodies can get a shock if the menu, timing, and frequency of our food intake shifts abruptly. It’s ok to have a light snack or two but just be mindful of going too hard overnight and please try to avoid a midnight pantry raid,” Dr O’Keefe said.

Top five snack tips:

• Homemade popcorn is the best, you can have it plain or make a homemade seasoning (Dr O’Keefe’s suggestion is a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and a drizzle of olive oil). 
• Grainy crackers topped with your favourites (avocado, tomato and cheese etc) or her favourite, cottage cheese topped with sliced apples and sultanas. 
• A variety of veggie sticks with dips (carrots, cucumber, celery etc) such as hummus and tzatziki – but green beans in beetroot dip is a showstopper.
• Greek yogurt and fruit (finely diced Kiwi and apple take home the gold). 
• Muffins – while it is warm in Paris it is our winter and some people like a warm snack. If that’s the case then plan ahead and prepare a batch of fruit muffins. They are easy to prepare and can be reheated (she uses wholemeal flour, then naturally sweetens the snack with bananas and pear). 

To nap or not to nap?

What happens when your favourite sports are only played when you are usually asleep? How do you watch and also continue your daytime routines?

VU’s sleep expert Dr Nicholas Saner says there are real health effects on the body when you don’t get your  regular 7 to 9 hours of sleep, or disrupt your sleep schedule.

“Sleep is crucial for our physical and mental health; and your performance the next day will suffer if you don’t get enough. If you’re going to stay up late to watch the Aussies in the Games, make sure you’re able to catch up on some sleep the next day.” 

So how can we cheer on our Aussies, but remain coherent and healthy?

Our top five sleep tips include:

• Sleep before the event. If the event is in the early hours of the morning, try to get a few hours of sleep before the event starts. 
• Try to arrange a later start the next day to give yourself time to catch up on some sleep
• Take a short nap (20 – 30 minutes) the next day. Naps can help maintain/improve your focus and concentration, if you’ve had a late night.  
• Make sure your bedroom is conducive to good sleep (cool, dark, and quiet) and watch the event in another room, like your living room. This will help you drift off to sleep faster after the event. 
• Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake, as neither are conducive to quality sleep when you do get to bed.